Wednesday, December 29, 2010

These last few weeks have been hard and good at the same time. I've been out of commission with a cold off and on for almost two months. It's slowed me down but it hasn't to slowed Maya down one bit. Although I feel sad that I haven't been able to take her out to our playgroup as much as I would like she doesn't seem to be phased by this. I'm glad.

So here are some awesome things that have been going on these last few weeks.

I know I told you all that Maya was on the verge of blowing bubbles...well she's done it!!! It wasn't long after that pre-bubble post that she started to blow out of her mouth and make little bubbles appear. Sooooo exciting!

The other day we went to the aquarium and I noticed that Maya was actually looking at the fish. Usually she's not so interested and mostly just likes the tide pool area, where the water crashes in every few seconds. But that day she was enjoying all the fishies. She spend a lot of time sitting in a little viewing area for the sting rays and sharks. I don't know if it was the fish or just the environment but she started to vocalize a lot. I like to think she was singing to the fish. Her interest in these objects, moving objects that are outside of her immediate space, is a big step. She understands flash cards of fish, she understands books with photos of the animals at the zoo...but to see them in person is another concept all together.

So a few weeks ago Maya ventured into the little Olivia dress up box I bought a couple of months ago. A tutu, pretend ballet slippers, and leggings have been a hit with Maya lately. Every day Maya takes down the cardboard box and usually asks for help opening it. Then she proceeds to stick out her legs so I can put the leggings on. Sometimes she'll go to the mirror and try and put on the safari hat that also comes in the box. Other times she just prances around the house with the little tutu on. It's rather cute if I say so myself.

Before Christmas I went through Maya's toys with the idea of donating them to children in need. It was good for me to go through these objects. I could really see how far she has come. Of course there are a few toys that she has outgrown that I couldn't quite let go of just yet. I suppose they remind me of the times when she accomplished a huge goal and part of me doesn't want to forget the amazing strides she has made.

Yep, my little girl is growing up! As always, I can't wait to see what she does next.

Friday, December 3, 2010

For a long time I tried to teach Maya to blow bubbles. I suppose I started way to early because she really wasn't into it at all. Soon after I let it go and didn't push it any further, still wondering when I was supposed to try again.

Here and there when Maya gets sick, I try to encourage her to blow her nose. Most of the time she just looks at me with a straight face. I imagine she may be saying, "Hhhmmm, what the heck is mama doing?"

She never has tried to imitate my actions, not once.

Mid November I caught a chest cold and we ended up spending a lot of time at home together. I always feel bad that I'm not getting Maya out with the other kids. Especially now I think she needs the exercise since she is walking. She did pretty well the whole week though. I feel very lucky because she can pretty much entertain herself with the mirror, her toys and music.

One day I found her playing in the front room. The sun was shining down on her through the big window. The room felt like it was glowing and I loved watching her silently entertain herself. First she was playing with her puppets and then she started to empty out the toy bucket. She was going through everything in that box, every single toy came out one at a time. She inspected each item carefully, tested it out and then moved on to the next toy. It was really interesting seeing her train of thought.

exploring her toy box

When she came to the horn (the horn we have used during speech therapy), she looked at it and then put it up right against her lips. She hadn't played with it for a very long time, but she knew what to do. She didn't blow with her mouth but with her nose.

trying to give the horn a blow

It was the best little blowing sound I have ever heard! This is the moment I thought to myself, this is the moment when she has put it all together. This was a step towards another milestone. Sometimes they don't seem like much but they are there. When she blows that horn for the first time or blows a bubble, this was the moment that led up to the big event.

And when the horn didn't make a sound, Maya decided to make her own tooting noise. "aaaaaahhh" she said. Then she was done and crawled into the box to get the next toy out.

insight on...

artist, photographer, cook who likes to eat out a lot, music and wine lover...current status: SaHAM (stay at home advocate mom) to our cutie pie daughter who happens to have an extra chromosome.
“The best and most beautiful things in
the world cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart.”
-Helen Keller